Luminary Labs

Luminary Labs

Luminary Labs was founded in 2009 by Sara Holoubek, who now serves as Founding Partner and Executive Advisory. Janna Gilbert became CEO in a leadership transition disclosed on the firm’s website in 2026. The firm is a certified woman-owned business headquartered in New York with an additional office in El Segundo, California. The firm operates as a strategy and innovation consultancy focused on designing and executing prize competitions, challenge programs, and innovation accelerators for corporate, nonprofit, and government clients. Its work spans sectors including healthcare, education, climate, space, and AI. Notable programs include the AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge, a $100 million initiative from the Bezos Earth Fund; the Neuromod Prize advancing bioelectronic medicine; and the Learning Landscapes Challenge, a $2.2 million effort for K-12 education infrastructure. Clients include AstraZeneca, Pfizer, NASA, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The firm lists a team of 20 professionals on its website, led by Gilbert and Holoubek. It does not disclose AUM or assets under management, and operates as a fee-for-service consultancy rather than an investment entity. The firm partners with organizations such as DrivenData, Futurescape, and Lightmatter for data science and software development. No philanthropy or family-office structures are mentioned. Luminary Labs’ structural differentiator is its model of designing and managing large-scale public-sector and philanthropic innovation programs at a fixed fee — it does not invest capital or take equity. This positions it as an execution partner for organizations aiming to solve complex problems without a traditional venture or investment mandate.